Chaos Column

From The Inbox:

"My family is making it out to be such a big deal that I do not want to give my children the flu vaccine. I want to be very clear, my child is completely vaccinated, expect for the flu vaccine. They make me out to be this horrendous parent and tell me that they raised me better than this. Am I doing something wrong? Should I cave and get it for my children."

Well, first let me just say that this is more common than you think. I also want to let you know that this is a no judgment zone and remind all of the readers and those commenting that it is OKAY to disagree, as long as we do it respectfully.

The Chaotic Response

As a nurse, I will tell you that vaccinating your children is completely up to you. Be it personal reason, religious ones, or whatever the case may be - YOU as the parent should make the choices YOU think are best for them. There will be information thrown at you from the PCPs, friends, family and even strangers. Overall, you have to make the choice that best fits your beliefs and your values.

From a personal standpoint, I will tell you that my son does not get the flu vaccine. He had a horrible reaction to it which made the choice FOR me, but even had he not, my husband and I had decided not to get the flu vaccines anyways. My husband is a retired Army Medic and he has been injected with any and everything under the son. Me, in my profession, am not given a choice of which vaccines I do and do not get. Until recently, even the flu vaccine was not a choice for me, but they changed that rule. We are all three doing just fine without the vaccine. This works for our family, it may work for your family since that is the way you are leaning, and it might not work for some people at all. Everyone has different thoughts on the subject.

As far as your family goes - you will always run into those people (or be born into them) who think that their opinion on subjects is always right and never seem to understand that just because someones opinon doesn't match theirs, doesn't mean either of you are wrong. It seems crazy to me that they cannot put aside their feelings on the subject to hear your side of it and it is extra confusing to me that they would treat something so trivial as a personal choice the way that they are.

I hope you are able to find peace with your choice but I also hope that you find that peace without having to bend to the will of someone else. You hold strong mamma. Those are your babies and that makes it your choice. Sending you all the thoughts and vibes I can!

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